View full sizeUniversity of South Alabama glass student Kevin Landry works on a piece in the hot shop. Landry will have some of his work on exhibit at Kangal Gallery In The Sail Loft, which will have the opening reception for the show on Friday night as part of the January LoDa ArtWalk. (Courtesy of the University of South Alabama)

MOBILE, Alabama – The University of South Alabama’s glass program will have its first showing in a commercial gallery during the Friday ArtWalk.

The exhibit at Kangal Gallery In The Sail Loft, 58 N. Royal St., will include pieces by faculty members Rachael Wright, Matthew Patterson and Rene Culler, and by 10 USA students.

“It’s quite accomplished; some of it is really amazing student work,” Culler said.

Most of the pieces take one to two hours to create, she said, “but it takes years and years of practice to be able to make it in one to two hours.”

USA’s glass program started in the fall of 2010 and offers two types of classes, glass blowing and kiln-formed glass. About 50 students are enrolled each semester, Culler said.

“We’re really excited about showing off the students’ work,” she said. USA is one of the very few public institutions in the South that has a glass program, she added.

The glass show at Kangal Gallery came together a few months ago, said Susan Kangal, gallery owner. “This is our first guest exhibit because we are co-op art gallery,” she said.

The Kangal staffers wanted to try something different, she said. “The program at USA is so new, and I’m an alumnus, so I just approached the department and asked them.”

Each of the exhibitors contributed two to five pieces to the display, and there is a wide range of items, from vases to plates to perfume bottles, she said. “The styles and colors are across the spectrum. I think it’s just a beautiful representation of a program that’s so young. It’s just a great opportunity for all of them to show their work.”

The opening reception for the exhibit is Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., and the glass pieces will be on display through Feb. 26. The Kangal Gallery’s hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The gallery is also having its winter clearance sale in the gift loft, with all items priced at 25 percent discount, Kangal said.